The Detroit Lions are actively shopping the second overall pick in April’s draft, according to a league source, and would be very comfortable trading down, looking to stockpile three or four assets.

The Lions have already been in discussions with other teams about the prospect, according to the source, and have ample time to make such a move before the draft begins April 22. Given the uncertain labor and economic climate in the NFL, finding a trading partner might not be easy, but the possibility remains that a club may want to move into the top two to ensure it lands one of the two dominant defensive tackles in the draft — Nebraska’s Ndamukong Suh and Oklahoma’s Gerald McCoy — who many draft experts rate as by far the best players in this draft.

The Lions are trying to rebuild a long-suffering defense in particular, after sinking considerable high picks and resources into offensive skill players in recent years. They are not averse to taking the top player on their board, according to the source, but will seek to explore all options for a trade.

The St. Louis Rams, who hold the top overall pick, have denied a report that they were in discussions with Tampa Bay to deal that selection, but there will be lots of jockeying and machinations taking place between now and late April.

There are some teams that have interest in Lions linebacker Ernie Sims as well, according to league sources, but the prospect of him being included in any deal along with the second-overall pick seems bleak now, with Detroit valuing him as a building block on defense. Sims, the ninth overall pick in 2006, has two years remaining on his rookie deal.

He's suggesting that other teams may want to trade for Sims...and the Lions don't want to part with him. That's a surprise to me, although Sims did play better in the second half of last season.

Report: Top four teams have discussed trading downPosted by Mike Florio on February 23, 2010 1:22 PM ETAmid rumors that the Rams have talked about trading out of the first overall pick and a report that the Lions have talked about sliding out the second spot. 2, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that each of the teams holding the top four picks -- the Rams, Lions, Buccaneers, and Redskins -- have had talks regarding the possibility of moving back.

The problem is finding someone who will be willing to trade up. With this year's talent pool believed to be as deep as ever, teams will be less willing to give up multiple picks than in the past. And with a rookie wage scale not yet implemented, the teams who pick in the top five or so this year will have the privilege of likely being the last to cough up gigantic contracts for unproven players.

Then there's the outdated chart that assigns a point value to draft picks. Last year, the Chiefs tried to trade the third overall pick to the Lions in exchange for the 20th overall pick and the first pick in round two. The proposed swap created a gap of 770 points based on the chart -- and the Lions still said no.

So unless one team decides that there's one guy who stands head, shoulders, and other body parts ahead of the other incoming rookies, the chances of a trade being accomplished are slim.

"Prior to the touchdown, there was a series of about five or six plays where I went, 'My God, he's finally come and figured it out,' " Cunningham said Wednesday. "And he knows it. I talked to him today. He felt really good about that."

Quote:

"He made some really good plays, and I hadn't seen him do that stuff,'' Lions defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham said. "Ernie knows the scheme in the classroom and the walk-through situation and even in practice, but he's had some short circuits in the game where he didn't move fast enough because he didn't trust it.

"All of a sudden during the game -- and everybody on the staff saw it -- he made one play that was unbelievable. I hadn't seen him tackle that way at any time last year or this year, so I feel good for him. That was a good sign.